Results From the REsCue Trial: A Randomized Controlled Trial with Extended-Release Calcifediol in Symptomatic Outpatients with COVID-19.

ImportanceThe benefit of vitamin D treatment for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) remains unclear. ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of raising serum total 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25D) to 50-100 ng/mL with oral extended-release calcifediol (ERC) on time to symptom resolution in mild to moderate COVID-19. Design, Setting, and ParticipantsA multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study evaluated treatment of 160 outpatients with COVID-19 diagnosed between November 2020 and October 2021. InterventionsPatients were treated for 4 weeks with ERC (30 mcg/capsule; 300 mcg on Days 1-3 and 60 mcg on Days 4-27) or placebo. Outcome MeasuresPrimary endpoints were raising serum 25D to [≥]50 ng/mL at Day 14 and resolution time for five aggregated symptoms. Secondary endpoints included resolution time for aggregated and individual symptoms as a function of serum 25D and changes in clinical biomarkers. Results171 subjects randomized, 160 treated and 134 (65 ERC and 69 placebo) retained. Average age was 43 (range: 18-71); 59% female, 92% White, 80% Hispanic, 7% African-American, 1% Other, 76% overweight, 40% obese, 26% comorbidities, mean baseline 25D of 37{+/-}1 (SE) ng/mL. ERC increased mean 25D to 82{+/-}4 ng/mL (p<0.001) by Day 7; 88% of subjects attained a level [≥]50 ng/mL; the placebo group trended lower. Resolution time for five aggregated symptoms was unchanged by ERC given that two composite non-respiratory symptoms responded poorly. Prespecified analyses showed that respiratory symptoms tended to resolve earlier when serum 25D levels reached [≤]50 ng/mL, but statistical significance was limited by small sample size and non-compliance: 25D increased in seven placebo subjects (unauthorized supplementation) and none occurred in five ERC subjects (failure to dose). A post-hoc composite of three respiratory symptoms (trouble breathing, chest congestion and dry or hacking cough) resolved 3.0 days faster when 25D was elevated at Days 7 and 14 (p<0.05); chest congestion resolved 4.0 days faster with 25D increases of [≥]25 ng/mL (p<0.05). Safety concerns including hypercalcemia were absent with ERC treatment. Conclusions and RelevanceERC was effective in increasing serum 25D in outpatients with COVID-19, which may have accelerated resolution of respiratory symptoms suggesting mitigation of COVID-19 pneumonia risk, findings which warrant further study.

WHotLAMP: A simple, inexpensive, and sensitive molecular test for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 in saliva

Despite the development of effective vaccines against SARS-CoV-2, epidemiological control of the virus is still challenging due to slow vaccine rollouts, incomplete vaccine protection to current and emerging variants, and unwillingness to get vaccinated. Therefore, frequent testing of individuals to identify early SARS-CoV-2 infections, contact-tracing and isolation strategies remain crucial to mitigate viral spread. Here, we describe WHotLAMP, a rapid molecular test to detect SARS-CoV-2 in saliva. WHotLAMP is simple to use, highly sensitive (3.6 viral RNA copies per microliter of saliva) and specific, as well as inexpensive, making it ideal for frequent screening. Moreover, WHotLAMP does not require toxic chemicals or specialized equipment and thus can be performed in point-of-care settings, and may also be adapted for resource-limited environments or home use. While applied here to SARS-CoV-2, WHotLAMP can be modified to detect other pathogens, making it adaptable for other diagnostic assays, including for use in future outbreaks.

A Review on the Use of Membrane Technology Systems in Developing Countries.

Fulfilling the demand of clean potable water to the general public has long been a challenging task in most developing countries due to various reasons. Large-scale membrane water treatment systems have proven to be successful in many advanced countries in the past two decades. This paves the way for developing countries to study the feasibility and adopt the utilization of membrane technology in water treatment. There are still many challenges to overcome, particularly on the much higher capital and operational cost of membrane technology compared to the conventional water treatment system. This review aims to delve into the progress of membrane technology for water treatment systems, particularly in developing countries. It first concentrates on membrane classification and its application in water treatment, including membrane technology progress for large-scale water treatment systems. Then, the fouling issue and ways to mitigate the fouling will be discussed. The feasibility of membrane technologies in developing countries was then evaluated, followed by a discussion on the challenges and opportunities of the membrane technology implementation. Finally, the current trend of membrane research was highlighted to address future perspectives of the membrane technologies for clean water production.

PET-MR and SPECT-MR multimodality probes: Development and challenges.

Positron emission tomography (PET)-magnetic resonance (MR) or single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT)-MR hybrid imaging is being used in daily clinical practice. Due to its advantages over stand-alone PET, SPECT or MR imaging, in many areas such as oncology, the demand for hybrid imaging techniques is increasing dramatically. The use of multimodal imaging probes or biomarkers in a single molecule or particle to characterize the imaging subjects such as disease tissues certainly provides us with more accurate diagnosis and promotes therapeutic accuracy. A limited number of multimodal imaging probes are being used in preclinical and potential clinical investigations. The further development of multimodal PET-MR and SPECT-MR imaging probes includes several key elements: novel synthetic strategies, high sensitivity for accurate quantification and high anatomic resolution, favourable pharmacokinetic profile and target-specific binding of a new probe. This review thoroughly summarizes all recently available and noteworthy PET-MR and SPECT-MR multimodal imaging probes including small molecule bimodal probes, nano-sized bimodal probes, small molecular trimodal probes and nano-sized trimodal probes. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first comprehensive overview of all PET-MR and SPECT-MR multimodal probes. Since the development of multimodal PET-MR and SPECT-MR imaging probes is an emerging research field, a selection of 139 papers were recognized following the literature review. The challenges for designing multimodal probes have also been addressed in order to offer some future research directions for this novel interdisciplinary research field.

Rosai-Dorfman disease: FDG PET/CT findings in a patient presenting with pyrexia and cervical adenopathy.

Sinus histiocytosis with massive lymphadenopathy or Rosai-Dorfman disease is a rare clinicopathological entity that typically affects young adults, with patients presenting frequently with fever and painless cervical adenopathy. It can mimic lymphoproliferative diseases, and FDG PET/CT typically demonstrates significant FDG avidity in areas of disease. We report a case of a young Chinese woman presenting with pyrexia and painless cervical adenopathy, for which FDG PET/CT performed as part of the diagnostic process demonstrated FDG avid lesions in both nodal and extranodal sites.

Usefulness of F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography in a case of choriocarcinoma presenting as pulmonary embolism.

This case demonstrates the utility of performing F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography for the investigation of an unresolving pulmonary embolus, where early diagnosis of tumor thrombus or primary neoplastic conditions of the pulmonary artery may be made. Choriocarcinoma presenting within the pulmonary artery is rare although a literature review shows that a number of important differential diagnoses of hypermetabolic pulmonary lesions should be kept in mind.

A novel case of false-positive I-131 whole-body scan in thyroid carcinoma caused by subdural hematoma.

Iodine-131 whole-body scintigraphy has been used extensively to detect thyroid remnants as well as metastatic disease in thyroid carcinoma postthyroidectomy. Over the years, numerous causes of false-positive scans have been reported. The authors report a novel case of a false-positive result resulting from a subdural hematoma mimicking a skull or cerebral metastasis.